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Acamarian
The Acamarians '''are a humanoid civilisation native to Acamar III, best known for their violent history of clan warfare and space piracy. They are a member of the United Federation of Planets, but many Acamarians support secession. Biology Acamarians are one of many races in the known galaxy which are physiologically very similar to humans. This may be an instance of Hodgkin's Law of Parallel Planetary Development, '''or it may be due to genetic seeding by an ancient race such as the Preservers. The primary distinguishing characteristic of Acamarians is a formed indentation in the centre of their foreheads. They often decorate their faces with distinguishing marks to denote their clan - the Lornak clan wear tattoos, whereas the Gatherer clan burn their faces as part of an initiation right. Culture and History Acamarian society is divided into several clans, membership of which is the most important aspect of their culture. Loyalty to early nation states became less important as the importance of clan loyalties grew, until eventually any sense of national or racial identity ceased to exist, replaced entirely by clan identity. Most of Acamarian history has been dominated by inter-clan warfare, which is notoriously violent. One such feud, between the Lornak and Tralesta clans, lasted almost three centuries, and only ended after the complete annihilation of the Tralesta clan. The clans have bitter rivalries going back almost a thousand years, and these rivalries aren't limited to the Acamarian homeworld: barkeepers and mining administrators across the Federation know to keep the different clans separated to avoid violent incidents. Clan warfare continued until the 23rd century, when it expanded into space, with the clans fighting for control of the different moons and planets in the Acamar system and the nearby Gamma Hromi system. Some clans turned to piracy to survive, raiding passing starships and attacking nearby settlements until the Federation Starfleet had to intervene. In 2285, a squadron of Starfleet vessels under Commodore Mendoza was sent to Acamar to combat piracy and make the clans sit down at the negotiating table. As a result of these negotiations, the clans agreed to a new system of government, where each clan chose two representatives to serve on the new Acamarian Ruling Council, presided over by the elected Sovereign, with an independent military to keep the peace. This settlement worked surprisingly well, and the Acamarians enjoyed continual peace through to 2366. The exception to this was a splinter group known as the Gatherers, who refused to be a part of the peace settlement and thus continued to exist as pirates, tarnishing the reputation of the Acamarians across the Federation. In 2366, the Sovereign offered repatriation for the estranged Gatherers. Negotiations to reunite the Acamarians and the Gatherers took place at a Gatherer camp on Gamma Hromi II, mediated by Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D. Despite some difficulties, including mutual distrust and an assassination attempt on the Gatherer leader, Picard was eventually successful, and the Gatherers agreed to return home the same year. Acamar joined the United Federation of Planets in the 2370s, although some Acamarians would prefer to be independent, and the secessionist movement had been growing in popularity. The reintegration of the Gatherers has not been easy, and inter-clan rivalries still flare up from time to time, particularly due to the diwndling resources and land available on Acamar now that the population isn't being kept down by constant warfare. Many Acamarians prefer the piratical life, living off-world as nomadic interstellar marauders. Exports The main Acamarian export is themselves - lack of opportunity on Acamar means that Acamarians are often willing to travel elsewhere for work, often taking industrial jobs or joining criminal organisations. Another export is Acamarian brandy, which is known to be very potent. Acamarians often eat parthas, a green vegetable with fleshy roots that is native to Acamar III.